Finding the Way of a healthy life.

Another weekend training session done, and more satisfied persons realizing that there is something unique in training with kettlebells. A beautiful park with grass and big trees, the fading light of a beautiful Tokyo summer’s day, and people approaching me for training sessions as I worked through a range of exercises with my students.

Despite what some might have you believe, kb’s aren’t a fad; they have actually been around well over a hundred years now and are showing no signs of slowing down being integrated into the international health and fitness world.The biggest issue seems to be that there are still way too many people who just don’t know how to use them properly.

What makes kettlebells unique? The unique shape of the kettlebell forces the user to engage the entire body in most of the main exercises. I call it yoga with weights, perhaps that a bad analogy, but since stretching and mobility are key factors in a successful kb athlete, that’s what I am calling it .

The kb is a dead weight; its not designed to really help you at all (except for the handle) and its movement much more about how you move your body around the weight than vice versa.
No more isolatory focus exercises allowing one muscle to exhaust itself at the expense of supporting others, the kb is cruel enough to make your whole body work from the very first movement.

Every time you pick up a kettlebell you are playing with physics- Isaac Newton might have loved them (although he wouldn’t have wanted one falling on his head). You use leverage at times to move it through space, at others its almost as if you are defying gravity to get the thing to move. In eastern parlance, its about uniting heaven earth and man as you draw power up through your legs from the earth and through your body in graceful rhythm. Watch any small powerful girevoy shifting a larger weight and you will know what I mean.

Its not about how many muscles you already have. Its about how you get your body to work as a complete unit, and learn how to relax under stress. About making your mind, body heart and lungs work together to make you a physically fit machine. About being aware of your body, knowing where the tension lies and how to deal with it as you work.

In the course of all this you become smarter, more confident, with better posture and balance.

Now, who wouldn’t want that?

Go ahead and give it a try. You will be amazed at what you find out about yourself.